Bali Conclusion

Perfectly sandwiching my arrival at Dell three and a half years prior, Yuyin and I decided to swap one Pacific island for another.

Ostensibly to celebrate the wedding of Nelson and Christina, it was also a great opportunity to catch up with old friend Rich and plot some serious R&R time. Opting to stay in the heart of teeming Seminyak, it landed us within striking distance of some fantastic beaches, beautiful tourist spots and great food.

Anyway, here are some of my highlights:

Bali_2011_65 — Splish splash – no complaints about the pool in our villa

Bali_2011_64 — Ken calls from Taiwan and I make sure proceedings are interrupted for a quick call.

Bali_2011_63 — Standard issue Aviator shot

Bali_2011_62 — A blow-out on the ride up to Bedegul meant an emergency tyre swap – and this was after running out of fuel earlier on in the journey!

Bali_2011_2 — Sadly, this was the view for much of the trip around the local area – traffic and overcrowding.

Potato Head

This trip to Bali was a professional inspiration for two reasons; one, an eye-opening trip to the extravagant new bar ‘Potato Head Beach Club’, and second a trip to the motorcycle custom shop, Deus Ex Machina (more of that later).

Utilising authentically used shutters from around the island, they have constructed an egg-shaped cocoon structure, wrapping up a little slice of Malibu from the other side of the Pacific ocean. Locating ourselves at the back, huge waves were framed by the building on the sides, and an infinity pool at the base. The sense of occasion upon arrival was matched well with the prices of the drinks – we opted for a ‘cocktail to share’ and could barely scrape ourselves off the sofa by the time we reached the bottom of the glass.

Bali_2011_56 — The entrance gangway up the side of the building

Bali_2011_54 — Tremedous view of the ocean, punctuated by palm trees and beautiful people

Bali_2011_53 — The start of our destruction

Bali_2011_52 — A very handsome-looking communal dining area

Bali_2011_51 — The infinity pool (keeping the great unwashed at bay, beyond)

Bali_2011_50 — Shutters lining the roof inside

A very nicely executed aesthetic (which looked fabulous at night, by the way) but amazingly only sporting a single set of toilets for the entire bar, and apparently everyone gets wet when it rains; not so cool.

Sign of the times, their website is ‘on progress’ while their Facebook page is clearly thriving.

Padang Padang Beach

Away from the main tourist drag in Kuta and Seminyak, there are some fabulous beaches. Jimbaran to the south is littered with the things and we pretty much had to flip a coin to pick one. Padang Padang won out, and after a little while looking for it, it revealed itself as a charming little cove with light surf, tucked away at the base of a cliff and beyond a dramatic walk down via a seam in the rock.

Bali_2011_39 — The entrance route could not have been better designed

Bali_2011_46 — I have been using a Sony Reader of late and enjoyed being able to take a stack of books with me to the beach.

Bali_2011_45 — I would not want to do this with an iPad

Bali_2011_44 — Yuyin clearly enjoying herself!

Bali_2011_43 — Panoramic view – click for more details

Bali_2011_42 — … and one from the other angle

Bali_2011_40 — Surfs up at the end of the day

Menega Cafe

Some of my most memorable food on my last trip here with Rich, was at Menega Cafe, down in Jimbaran. Clams and shrimp doused in a deliciously tangy sauce were washed down perfectly with a couple of Bintangs, another gorgeous sunset, and gawping at the tourists taking embarrassing photographs of each other.

Bali_2011_37 — A long-suffering husband followed his wife up and down the beach, looking for the perfect shot

Bali_2011_34 — It was all we could do to contain our laughter

Bali_2011_36 — Yuyin expressing her love for Spongebob

Bali_2011_31 — One interesting thing was plotting the rise of Chinese tourists to Bali. Simplified Chinese had knocked out traditional script, and hopeful streetfood sellers were daubing their flag over their carts in hope of attracting their business.

Bali_2011_30 — The tasty carcinogen zone

Tanah Lot Temple

Since both Yuyin and I had been to Bali before and ticked off many of the main tourist tick boxes, we were able to focus on some lesser-known attractions. One that had escaped my net last time was Tanah Lot – an extraordinary outcrop of rock populated with decorations and religious ornament. While fully detached at high-tide, at low tide one is able to wander around it with hundreds of other like-minded individuals. As is often the case though, step a few metres away from the obvious main path, and you are rewarded with near solitude.

Bali_2011_28 — Yuyin taking photos of me taking photos

Bali_2011_26 — Interesting rock formations

Bali_2011_25 — Returning back to civilisation

Bali_2011_22 — One of the nearby outcrops, with a refreshing lack of safety equipment between visitors and the rocks below

Deus Ex Machina

There was no struggle. They caught me hook, line and sinker. Custom motorbikes. Custom surf and skateboards. Custom bicycles. Great food. Cute girls. Fantastic architecture. Impeccable story. I stood no hope, and bought what Deus Ex Machina really wanted my there for; their booming t-shirt and clothing business. But my oh my, such fantastic concept and execution. Please let me work here. I want to be you.

Bali_2011_6 — Started in Australia, expanding to the USA, it makes perfect sense to have a location metres away from the pro-surf hot spot of Indonesia. I stood no chance.

Bali_2011_11 — The starting point; some utterly stock Yamaha sports bikes.

Bali_2011_15 — What you end up with – a slice of attitude. Sign me up.

Bali_2011_14 — While also working over British classics and American slabs of iron, I appreciated the fact that they had no qualms working with more modest local starting points.

107_03 — What you can expect if you drop a little more cash; Dues Ex Machina – 'The Mono'

Bali_2011_13 — Panel bashing – I wonder if the company owners have more ergonomic chairs.

Bali_2011_16 — Ideas for my future tool shed

And on to their surf boards and other toys…

Bali_2011_12 — Impeccable graphics and choice of colours and materials

Bali_2011_10 — Almost ready for its first test drive

Bali_2011_8 — Yes, they have their own fully kitted-out photography studio

Bali_2011_7 — The real reason we were all here today

Bali_2011_5 — The collection of buildings near Canggu beach

Canggu Beach

Canggu beach makes for a more rugged experience than most of the other locations. Bigger surf, more aggressive waves in-shore and less cover meant it was limited to us, some pro-surfers, and some local horse riders. No trinket peddlers and a more raw atmosphere was a refreshing change from the manicured spots on the rest of the island.

So that’s it … came, saw … and bought the t-shirt (willingly I might add).

Jonathan Biddle – Made in Taiwan